New Beginnings
by LuckyDuck29
Summary: Launchpad ends his life in Duckburg and begins his life in Saint Canard. Please see my profile for the link to the ld29info forum for the author's notes.
1. Two Weeks Notice

"Mr. McDuck will see you now," Mrs. Featherby said with a friendly smile.

"Thanks," Launchpad said, smiling back. He stood up and walked into the office.

"I don't have a lot of time, Launchpad," Scrooge said crossly. "What did you want to see me about?"

"Well, I wanted to tell yah-" Launchpad began, then stalled.

He was suddenly nervous. He loved Mr. McD and the kids and he didn't know how any of them were going to react to his news.

"I, uh-"

"Well?" Scrooge asked impatiently. "What is it?"

Launchpad took a deep breath.

"I came to give you my two weeks notice. I've decided to leave Duckburg."

Scrooge stared at him in surprise for a few seconds, then said, "Leave Duckburg? Why?"

"I need a change. We haven't been on a real adventure in almost a year. Webby and the boys are older now and maybe that's part of the reason why, but I still need action. Flying you to meetings or transporting cargo just isn't enough."

"You need something different, more unpredictable?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if that's the way you want it, Lad, I understand. But I'll miss you. We all will."

Launchpad smiled. Scrooge rarely showed affection or fondness towards anyone but Webby and the boys.

"I'll miss you guys, too."

Scrooge stood up and walked around the desk and they shook hands. Then he surprised Launchpad by giving him a hug. As he hugged Mr. McD back, he hoped the kids would take the news as well as he had.

"Have you told the kids yet?"

Launchpad shook his head.

"Well, come to dinner tonight and you can tell them then. When are you leaving?"

"Next month. I sold my house to your nephew, Gladstone."

"Where in the world did Gladstone Gander get enough money to buy a house?"

Launchpad laughed.

"He used his luck, of course. I told him what I was asking for it and he showed up with it the next day."

"Did he tell you how he got it?"

"Yeah, somehow it fell out of Flintheart Glomgold's limo when the driver stopped short so he wouldn't hit a rabbit. Gladstone said you could hear Glomgold screaming at the poor guy all the way down the street."

Scrooge laughed. He loved a story that made Flintheart look silly, especially if it cost Glomgold money because it meant he was no closer to being the richest duck in the world and Scrooge still held the title. Then he did a double take.

"Wait. What would he want with a studio on an air strip? He's no pilot."

"He wants to rent out the air strip to freelance pilots and turn the studio into a vending stand so the pilots can eat before they either take off again or go do whatever business they have in Duckburg."

Scrooge smiled proudly. "So," he said, impressed, "Maybe I have managed to teach him something about finances after all!"

The intercom buzzed.

"Yes, Mrs. Featherby?" Scrooge asked.

"Your three o'clock is here, Mr. McDuck."

"Dinner at seven?" he asked Launchpad.

"Ok, see you later."

"Oh, and Doofus will be there, too. I told the boys they could have a sleep over."

During dinner, Launchpad gave the kids his news.

"You're leaving?" All the kids asked at once.

"But why?" Dewey asked for all of them.

Launchpad explained his reasons, then waited as the kids thought it over. All of them, especially Doofus, looked as if they'd just lost their best friend.

"But where will you go?" Webby asked.

He took out a small scrapbook he'd been keeping and showed it to them. The scrapbook had a few articles featuring a city called Saint Canard, not too far from Duckburg, and a duck in a cape and a mask calling himself Darkwing Duck. He had become Launchpad's hero over the last year. He was even building a plane that looked like Darkwing. He called it the Thunderquack. He hoped to meet Darkwing someday and show the plane to him.

"Saint Canard?" Doofus asked. "What's there that you don't have in Duckburg?"

"Adventure. I just don't have that in Duckburg anymore."

"But, Launchpad, that city is full of crime," Mrs. Beakley said, looking concerned.

"Look at the guy in the articles, Mrs. B," Launchpad said. "He's a crime fighter. I'd love to meet him; that's one of the reasons I picked Saint Canard. Maybe if I meet him and I show him the Thunderquack he'll let me be his sidekick."

"Sidekick?" Doofus asked, surprised. "You're a hero, Launchpad! Why would you want to be anybody's sidekick?"

"Why do you wanna be my sidekick, little buddy?"

"Because you're my hero!"

"And Darkwing Duck is my hero. He helps a lot of people; he saves them from being hurt by the bad guys. I'm not helping anyone here, not in any way that counts, not anymore. I'm just a pilot now; I want to be more. If Darkwing Duck lets me be his sidekick, I can make a real difference. If he doesn't, I'll find some other way to help people in a big way, like I used to do with you guys."

"But this guy Darkwing hasn't done half the cool stuff you have!" Doofus said. "You've been in space, you've driven a submarine, you even saved me from the Beagle Boys and saved the Earth from a Martian bomb!"

"Yeah," Louie said, "And nobody else could have landed that blimp safely without anyone being hurt."

Launchpad smiled. It wasn't a pep talk he needed; it was a break in the routine he'd unintentionally established over the past year. But he appreciated their confidence and loyalty.

"We've done a lot together, I know, and it's been great."

"Isn't it still great?" Webby asked. "Did we do something to make you mad at us?"

"No," Launchpad said. Webby was closest to him and he pulled her into a one-armed hug. "This has nothing to do with you guys." He looked at Mr. McD for help.

"He's restless, kids," Scrooge said. "It's like when your Uncle Donald joined the navy. He wanted something more. Duckburg's given Launchpad all it has to offer, and I think we have, too. We'll always be his friends, but he needs to find his action and adventure somewhere else. By the way, Laddie, what's a Thunderquack and what does it have to do with you meeting this Darkwing Duck person?"

"It's a jet plane; I built it to look like him and customized it, with Gyro's help, for a super hero like him. I'll show it to yah before I leave."

He looked around the table.

"Hey, this won't be so bad," he said, faking cheerfulness. Webby and Bubba were crying and the other kids were close to it. "We can talk on the phone and I'll come and visit, and you can visit me in Saint Canard. It won't be so different."

"Launchpad's right," Scrooge said. "Saint Canard and Duckburg are neighboring cities, so he won't be that far away."

"You've made up your mind, haven't yah?" Huey asked sadly.

"Yeah," Launchpad said quietly. "I leave next month. Gladstone Gander bought my house."

"Yah promise we'll always be friends?" Webby asked.

"I promise," he said, tightening his arm around her.

"And you think you'll be happy in Saint Canard?" Mrs. Beakley asked.

"Yeah, I do."

"Then, you should go," Dewey said sadly, "Right guys?"

"Right," the rest of them said.

"They look the way they did when the search parties were looking for you after that race with Armstrong, the robot," Duckworth told Launchpad. "Cheer up, children. At least this time you know where he is and that he's safe."

"But who's gonna be our little league coach and Junior Woodchuck troop leader?" Doofus asked.

"Gladstone said he would," Launchpad said. "He's been looking for something new, too. I think this is gonna work out for all of us."


	2. Darkwing Duck!

About a week after he told Mr. McD and the kids he was leaving, Launchpad bought two hangers in the Saint Canard airport. He would freelance until he either met Darkwing or found some other way to help people. He wanted action and adventure and to do something important, but he also needed to earn a living.

The hangers were full of his planes; some needed repairs or other maintenance, others were fine, others were still being built. Contrary to what Mr. McD and his other friends seemed to believe, not all of the repairs that needed to be done to his planes were due to crashes, and not all the planes that looked like they needed repairs did; some of them just hadn't been fully constructed yet. He loved building planes; it was one of his favorite hobbies. He sold some of them when he was desperate for money.

As he was putting the Thunderquack into the second hanger, he heard a scream and a crash come from the first.

He ran into the hanger and saw a short duck in purple standing by his biplane, the Joy Rider.

"Clever of me to use my spine to break my fall like that," Launchpad heard the stranger laugh to himself.

"Hold it right there, yah pirate!" he cried, startling the duck, who looked toward him, blinked and did a double take, probably registering Launchpad's size.

"No, no, no," the stranger said, shrinking back with wide eyes and holding his arms out, shaking his hands in an "I surrender" motion. "I'm a-"

Launchpad flew at the stranger like Jungle Duck and slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. The shorter duck fell into a pile of miscellaneous items.

"Nobody but nobody messes with the airplanes in my hanger," he grunted as he pummeled the stranger, "Or my name isn't Launchpad McQuack!"

Launchpad very rarely lost his temper, but he didn't like thieves; he thought anyone who would steal from anyone else was a bully who didn't care about anyone but themselves. As he spoke and punched the duck, he managed to somehow get him into a plane tire. The duck's eyes were wide.

Launchpad stormed behind the plane tire with the duck rolling in it, hovering over him and talking down at him. His brows were knitted and his hands were balled into fists. As he told the stranger his name, he stopped walking and put his hands on his hips. He took a step forward, but he was so intent on the potential thief that he wasn't looking where he was going and stepped into the hole caused by the stranger's fall. Launchpad's eyes went wide as he fell and his anger was replaced with surprise.

"You don't understand!" the duck said, struggling to get the tire off him as Launchpad climbed out of the hole. "I'm not a thief; I'm-"

He hopped towards Launchpad as he spoke and Launchpad struggled to help him remove the tire. His eyes were closed as he struggled until he finally got it off the stranger, who fell at Launchpad's feet.

Launchpad couldn't help smiling. He never could stay angry for long, and apparently he had misjudged this odd character.

The stranger sat on the ground, looking confused and a little roughed up. Launchpad suddenly realized who he was!

"Darkwing Duck!" he squeaked, amazed. He couldn't believe his eyes. Here was his purpose for choosing Saint Canard in the first place! He hadn't even moved here yet and he was already meeting his hero. What were the odds?

"You know me?"

"Know you?" Launchpad asked, standing Darkwing up and dusting him off. "I'm your biggest fan!"

Darkwing clasped his hands together.

"A fan? Really?" Then he cleared his throat and his voice deepened and his face changed from surprise to tough. Somehow he managed to look sheepish at the same time. Launchpad never took his eyes off his hero and he liked the tough but sheepish look; he found it vaguely amusing. "I mean, really?"

Sure! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just another stop over in my never ending fight against-" he paused, looking first at the plane behind Launchpad's left shoulder, then at Launchpad, then gasped. "Hey, you're a pilot!"

He jumped at Launchpad. He landed with his feet on Launchpad's chest and grabbed his flight goggles and pulled on them. Launchpad was too surprised to say anything. He leaned back to balance them both as his head was being jarred by Darkwing still pulling on his goggles. Then Darkwing hopped over Launchpad's head and landed on the ground. Launchpad stared after him, holding the left side of his aching head, where Darkwing had been pulling, and wondering if his hero had all his marbles.

"We can use this plane to catch those crooks!"

"Oh boy," Launchpad thought, "This must be my lucky day!" This was exactly the opportunity he'd been hoping for!

"Oh," he laughed, "I got something a lot better than this plane!" He pointed behind him at the Joy Rider with his thumb. He started to walk towards the other hanger with a grin.

"No time; get in!" Darkwing insisted. Launchpad was suddenly hesitant and surprised. Darkwing was practically yelling at him, almost like Mr. McD. "We have evildoers to thwart!"

"But in the next hanger, I got this-"

"Now, Fan!" Darkwing said firmly. Then he seemed to notice the look on Launchpad's face. His face became pleading and he gave Launchpad puppy dog eyes. He said, in a wheedling tone, "I'll give you my autograph."

Launchpad ran to the cockpit.

"I'm here for yah, DW!"

"Yah know, I could be your sidekick!" he said as he took off. "I got a whole scrapbook of your newspaper clippings. He chuckled. Of course, it's not a very big scrapbook."

Launchpad knew DW was not a big time hero. Most of the articles seemed to mock him. Launchpad was hoping to help him change all that. He knew there was a real hero inside DW, but that no hero could do everything alone. Behind every great hero, there was at least one person to help him.

"Wouldn't it be easier to fly if we were facing the other way?" Darkwing asked nervously, standing up in his seat and pointing over Launchpad's head.

He lowered his head to avoid DW's arm, suddenly realizing that he was flying backwards. He hated when he got over eager like this. He wanted so badly to please that he let himself get distracted. That was what caused most of his crashes when he worked for Mr. McD.

"Oh, yeah, sorry; I sometimes have trouble with that," he said sheepishly, spinning the plane like a top in order to turn the right way, propeller first.

Darkwing had been chasing a condor carrying an engine with wings attached to a train car. The car had been separated from the train so the crooks could steal the piece of equipment it was transporting. Three thugs had stolen the equipment for their boss, a big time criminal named Taurus Bulba.

"It's right under us," Darkwing said when he saw the train. "Can you take us lower?"

"No problemo!" Launchpad said cheerfully, and took the plane into a near nose dive, breaking a few feet above the condor.

"Gosh, thanks," Darkwing said.

"I aim to please!" Launchpad closed his eyes, pointed at his chest with his thumb and smiled happily. He'd managed to impress DW with his flying.

"It's that costumed meddler again, a gruff voice came over a radio around the condor's neck. "Get rid of him."

"OK," DW said, "I'm here. Now how do I turn this thing around?"

Launchpad's mouth dropped open in shock as the bird suddenly grabbed DW in his claws and flew away with him.

"All right, Beak Face," DW said, sounding braver than he looked, "This is getting monotonous! You better-"

The bird dropped him. DW screamed, looking terrified; his eyes were wide. "You don't understand! I like monotony!" He tumbled towards the ground head first.

"I'm coming, DW!" Launchpad said, as he did an upside down twist and loop to fly over Darkwing so DW could grab onto the Joy Rider's wheel axel.

The angry bird chased after them. Launchpad put his right hand to his mouth.

"Don't worry," he said to Darkwing. "I'll shake him!"

He went into another near nose dive on a spin, made a sharp right and barreled into a series of tight spins to form a pig's tail. He doubled back into an up and down wave, then a few more pig's tails. The condor followed Launchpad's every move.

Desperately, Launchpad did a low dive into a residential area. He was diving so low that DW was forced to run on the roof tops of houses, but he had to get rid of this crazy bird. He dove lower, pulling Darkwing through tree tops, then crashed in and out of a house. The condor, still hot on their tails, came out of the house wrapped in a blanket.

"Nice going, Ace," Launchpad thought. "You finally meet your hero and have a chance to help him, but saving his life is gonna kill him if you're not careful. Think about what you're doing!"

Darkwing screamed for Launchpad, grabbing onto the wheel axel again. Launchpad flew a bit higher, then dipped to try to surprise the bird, but he crashed into a telephone pole. The bird flew off, back in the direction of the train.

Launchpad found himself sprawled on the telephone wires. DW was holding onto the telephone pole, looking shocked. Launchpad wasn't phased. As he told the kids ones, "Any crash you can walk away from is a good crash."

"They got away," Darkwing said, looking at Launchpad sadly.

Launchpad was now secretly furious with himself. Here was his chance to prove he could be a good sidekick for Darkwing and he had crashed already! He hated the part of him that was so eager to please that he forgot everything else that was usually common sense to him! But he showed Darkwing the side of him that never gave up, the fighter, who refused to let a crash stop him.

"Can't argue that point, DW." Launchpad smiled down at him. "So what do we do next?"

"We?" Darkwing asked angrily. He glared at Launchpad as he slid down the pole, using the remains of the joy rider's right wing as a kind of step stool. Launchpad followed, sliding down the pole. "We do nothing! I work alone!"

"But I could be your sidekick," Launchpad said. He didn't like the pleading tone in his voice, or the fact that he was in tears. It hurt to be rejected by someone you idolized. He felt even worse than he had all those times Mr. McD had fired him or called him stupid.

"Singing cowboys have sidekicks! I rely on me, nobody but me. Got that?"

"Oh, please," he begged, squeezing his eyes shut and grabbing Darkwing's left leg with his arms. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He was begging Darkwing like a child begging a parent for something he really wanted, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. Being Darkwing's sidekick was as important to him as it had been to fly the McX in the air show to impress his family. He also couldn't believe his hero wanted nothing to do with him.

"Let me make this clear for you," Darkwing said, pulling away. Launchpad fell to the ground due to the force of Darkwing's pull, feeling worse than he ever had in his life. "I never want to see you again, ever!"

"OK," Launchpad said sadly as Darkwing turned his back on him and walked down the street. Then his fighting spirit reasserted itself. Maybe once DW cooled down he could talk to him and ask for another chance to prove himself. "Do you want my phone number?"

Darkwing kept walking.


	3. Sidekick

Launchpad got up, then stood there for a minute, trying to decide what to do next. He wasn't sure why, but now that he'd met Darkwing he was more convinced than ever that he had to be his sidekick. They could both do a lot of good for Saint Canard. Launchpad would finally feel useful again. He just had to find a way to convince DW that he needed him.

The Joy Rider was a wreck. One wing was broken in two and the plane itself was almost in two pieces. Launchpad was going to have a lot to do before it would fly again. Fortunately, he had plenty of backups, including the Thunderquack. His planes would be no help to him now, though, because DW had a head start. Launchpad didn't have the time to go back for the Thunderquack. He looked over across the street and saw a bicycle shop.

"I don't believe it," he thought, struck by an idea. "Some of Gladstone's luck must have rubbed off on me!"

He went to the bike shop, whistling cheerfully as he walked. He bought a bike and started riding it in the direction Darkwing had gone. The shop owner had agreed to put the remains of the Joy Rider in storage until Launchpad could come back for it. DW had a big head start, but Launchpad was determined to find him.

He rode for a long time, letting his mind wander. This was his method of meditation, of letting his mind clear itself. When his mind wandered, it got rid of everything that was cluttering it and allowed him to think more clearly. The thoughts just came without other obstacles to get in their way.

He didn't want to overdo it again. The next time he saw DW and he needed help, Launchpad was going to think things through. His over eagerness was not going to get the better of him again.

"I'll show him," he said to himself as he peddled past the Saint Canard orphanage. He was panting with the exertion of peddling for so long, but he wasn't going to give up. "Every hero needs a sidekick. But how am I gonna find DW?"

"He's attacking!" Launchpad heard someone cry. "Fire!"

Suddenly, near the police station, he saw Darkwing flying through the air.

"That's handy," Launchpad said to himself. "Hang on, DW! What's the rush!"

There was a little girl near him in the side car of a big purple motorcycle. The bike was speeding towards the station. "That must be why the cops think he's attacking," Launchpad thought. Then he saw Darkwing and the girl being shot at by the police! DW was ahead of the girl until the motorcycle caught up with him. He was lucky; he fell back onto the bike instead of landing on the concrete. "That would have hurt," Launchpad thought, wincing inwardly at a mental image of Darkwing hitting the ground.

"Yikes!" he cried, as he saw the bullets whizzing past. He peddled backwards to avoid flying bullets.

"Oh, yeah," he heard the kid say sarcastically as he caught up to them, "I feel real safe now."

"What did you do to make those guys so mad?" he asked Darkwing, still peddling backwards but briefly riding beside DW's bike.

"I didn't do anything!"

"How about robbing a train?" the girl asked, pointing to a newspaper.

"What? I didn't-" Darkwing began, then he saw his picture in the newspaper. "Oh, that's not a bad picture, though. You don't think it looks pretentious, do you?"

A bullet went through the newspaper.

"Drastic times call for drastic action!" Darkwing said. They were near the Audubon Bay. "How are you at holding your breath?" he asked the girl.

"Don't do it, DW!" Launchpad said, alarmed as he finally got the bike peddling in the right direction again. "It's a dead end! Whoa!" They all went into the bay.

"Nice trick, DW!" Launchpad panted as he broke to the surface. "That's one way to lose those bad guys."

Then he realized he was alone.

"DW? Little girl? Anybody?"

He stared around. Where could they have gone? He was afraid they might have drowned. It was possible, but Launchpad's instincts told him they were still alive. DW was a hero; he would never kill a little girl, and he had to know he could do no good for the city if he was dead himself.

He looked for ten minutes, hoping he'd find them, but when he couldn't he went back to the bike shop, got the Joy Rider and transported it back to the hanger. There was nothing more he could do today. He would keep an eye out for DW and play it by ear.

Launchpad had bought a police scanner a long time ago. He liked to know where there was trouble so he could help, if possible. The next morning, as he ate his breakfast in Duckburg, he heard a message come over the scanner from the Saint Canard Police Department. DW had been arrested for the train robbery. They had an anonymous tip telling them where to find him. Launchpad somehow knew it was Bulba, or one of his goons, who had given them the tip.

Launchpad went to Canard Tower, where the cops had picked up DW, and found his motorcycle. This was the fastest way to get to the station, and he could return it to DW after he bailed him out. He was innocent and Launchpad was going to help him prove it, but they couldn't do it with DW in jail.

It wasn't hard to drive the bike; the only problem was that he couldn't find reverse.

"Now," he thought when he got to the police station, "How do I park this thing?"

He flipped a control, and crashed through the wall of DW's cell.

"Oh, so that's reverse," he laughed nervously. "I thought it was park."

Darkwing was on his knees, on top of a pig. They both looked at him in surprise. Darkwing blinked.

"Launchpad?" DW asked, as if he wondered if he was really seeing him.

"Well, you've done it again!" Launchpad berated himself. "He's gonna think you're stalking him! Not only that, but yah crashed again! How can you convince him he needs you to be his sidekick if yah keep-"

His thoughts broke off when he saw DW's eyes light up.

"Launchpad!" he cried happily in an "It is you" tone. "What are you doing here?"

Launchpad stuttered a bit before he could get his explanation out. DW had said he never wanted to see him again, and he'd just crashed DW's motorcycle. He needed to justify his being here, but he wasn't sure how.

"This was left behind when the cops took yah away," he said, indicating the bike. "I was coming to bail yah out. Guess there's no point to that now," he finished, embarrassed as he looked at the broken wall.

"Don't worry about it," DW said, smiling. "Heroes don't stop for paperwork." Then he said, more to himself than to Launchpad, "And maybe this costumed clown can still be a hero."

"Say," Darkwing said as they drove away from the jail. He was driving now and Launchpad was in the side car. "How did you figure out how to drive the ratcatcher?"

"Ratcatcher?"

"That's what I call the motorcycle."

"Oh, I like it. Well, it wasn't hard; I just couldn't find reverse, or park. So what's the plan, DW? How do we prove you're innocent?"

"We've got to save Gosalyn!"

"Who?"

"She's the little girl you saw me with yesterday. Her grandfather invented something that Taurus Bulba wants."

"Was that the piece of equipment on the train that you tried to keep from being stolen?"

"Yes, the Waddlemeyer ramrod. Professor Waddlemeyer was killed last year. Gosalyn is an orphan. Bulba thinks she knows the arming code to the ramrod."

"Does she?"

"Yes, but she doesn't know she knows it. Her grandfather taught it to her in the form of a lullaby. By now, Taurus Bulba must have Gosalyn in his air ship. We have to find a way of getting up to him!"

An image of the Thunderquack flashed in Launchpad's head.

"Air ship!" he said, excited. This was his chance! He could finally prove to DW that he could help him, and most important, he could help save Gosalyn!

"No problemo, DW! I got just the thing! We need to go back to the airport."

Later, Launchpad led Darkwing over to the hanger next to the one DW had crashed through yesterday. The sleek Duck's head shaped jet plane sat there, already fueled. Launchpad had fueled her up the day before, after the incident at the bay, hoping he'd have a chance to show it to DW soon.

"I love this!" Darkwing said as they took off. "It even looks like me!"

"Oh boy," Launchpad laughed proudly, "I told yah I was your biggest fan! I been working on it for a year. I call it the Thunderquack!"

"I call it sensational. We're gonna bring Bulba down like a ton of bricks-" he paused and looked right at Launchpad. DW had his arm across the back of the chair and was sliding his fingers along the brim of his hat. "Sidekick," he finished, smiling.

Launchpad couldn't remember when he'd felt so happy. To vent some of his good feelings, he screamed, "Yahoo!" and took the Thunderquack into a series of forward spins. He was almost convinced now that Gladstone's luck had rubbed off on him when he handed him the check for his house. All his hopes for his life in Saint Canard were being realized.


	4. He couldn't be!

They found Bulba on Canard tower again. His men started shooting immediately.

"We need to blow an entry hole in that thing," DW said, pointing at Bulba's air ship.

"I don't know, DW," Launchpad said doubtfully. "That sounds dangerous."

"Yeah? Well then, let's get dangerous."

Launchpad didn't know it yet, but he'd just given Darkwing a catch phrase.

They had put the Ratcatcher in the cargo hold until Darkwing needed it. The bike was bigger than the plane, but Darkwing somehow managed to get it safely in there. When Launchpad asked him how, Darkwing had just shrugged and looked mysterious, saying all heroes had trade secrets. Launchpad hadn't pressed the issue; he liked DW's mysterious ways. He was sure he'd learn some of them as his sidekick, but he wasn't ready to completely dispel his hero warship yet.

Darkwing went down into the cargo hold, then called, "OK, Launchpad, let her rip!"

Launchpad pressed the button that controlled the extra large rocket launcher in the Thunderquack's beak to make a hole in Bulba's air ship, then almost immediately pressed another button that released Darkwing and the bike from the underside of the plane. Launchpad and Gyro had rigged a kind of trap door in that particular spot for just that purpose. Darkwing glided smoothly into the hole.

"Hero away!" Launchpad cried enthusiastically. He flew above them and watched from the sky.

A short time later, Darkwing stood on the roof of the tower with Gosalyn to his left and Taurus Bulba, a huge, mean looking steer, off to his right. The condor suddenly picked Gosalyn up, then dropped her after about thirty seconds. Launchpad wanted to go grab her, but he didn't have a chance. Darkwing must have told Bulba something he wanted to hear, because the bird picked Gosalyn up again.

Launchpad felt a rush of anger. He hated big guys who picked on little guys, especially adults who terrorized children. He didn't think he'd be able to do anything to Bulba, but if he got the chance, he was going to teach that condor a lesson it would never forget!

He saw DW push some buttons on the ramrod, then Bulba fired it at the Federal Gold Depository. The building floated to the airship and opened like a jewelry box. The gold flew into the air ship and the building dropped, then disappeared. Launchpad couldn't see the ground from his vantage point, but he figured the building was now on the ground in pieces.

The condor suddenly dropped Gosalyn again.

"Launchpad!" DW cried urgently, putting his hands on his beak.

Launchpad flew down beside Gosalyn and caught her on the Thunderquack's beak. She stared it him for a few seconds. He stared back, feeling slightly nervous. He'd been afraid he wouldn't be able to catch her in time. Then he smiled back at her and she said, relieved, "Whoa! Nice save."

DW suddenly disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Bulba's men shot at the smoke, but then Darkwing reappeared on the ramrod, so Bulba told his men to stop shooting. DW pushed a bunch of buttons on the machine and it began to overload. Two of Bulba's goons were hit by a random beam from the ramrod and floated up. They grabbed onto the third and the three of them floated off over the city. Launchpad never knew what happened to them.

"Look!" Gosalyn said.

The condor, still in the air after dropping Gosalyn, ducked with his wings over his eyes, trying to avoid a loose beam.

"All right!" Gosalyn cried, as Launchpad pulled her into the cockpit with him. "Payback time, Launchpad!"

Launchpad laughed. "No problemo!"

He flew after the bird, who took off to the left when he realized he was being chased, and pulled its tail feathers out by opening the Thunderquack's beak and latching it onto them. The bird looked over his left wing at the huge bald spot where his tail feathers used to be, then covered his rear with both of his wings. He was clearly embarrassed. Then he flew down into the city, shrieking in pain.

"Serves yah right, yah big bully!" Launchpad thought triumphantly. "Now you know how it feels to be terrorized by something bigger than you! Maybe next time you'll pick on someone your own size!"

On top of the tower, Darkwing and Taurus Bulba were still fighting. Rays from the ramrod were hitting DW as he fought. Another beam shot up into the airship, which shorted out and veered off course. It crashed into the bay and exploded, then the ramrod exploded, with Darkwing and Bulba still fighting next to it. There was a sonic boom and a brown, cotton ball-shaped ring of smoke. Darkwing and Bulba were gone.

"No!" Gosalyn cried. "He couldn't be!"

She and Launchpad were stunned; there faces were bathed in white from the light caused by the explosion. Gosalyn's hands and face were pressed against the Thunderquack's canopy.

Launchpad was literally unable to think for a few seconds. He could only blink in shock; his mind was a complete blank. He couldn't believe it. This was impossible. Gosalyn was right; he couldn't be dead. But how could anyone survive an explosion like that?

"Think," he commanded himself. He had to take action.

He radioed for help, then landed the Thunderquack a few feet away from the wrecked tower. The cops were there in a matter of minutes. Launchpad and Gosalyn were still looking for Darkwing in the rubble. He had to be alive.

"What's going on here?" a short, scrawny canine cop asked in a tough New York accent. "What happened?"

Launchpad and Gosalyn told him everything.

"We'll take it from here. Nobody could have survived that explosion. I'm afraid your friend is most likely dead. My partner here will take the little girl back to the orphanage." He pointed to a female feline cop.

"I just love your bed side manner, Officer," Launchpad thought angrily. "She's just a little girl; you could have been a little gentler about telling her the guy who saved her probably died with the guy who tried to kill her."

It didn't occur to him until later that the cop hadn't thought much of his feelings either. How did the officer know Darkwing wasn't close to Launchpad? They had only gone into detail about the battle with Taurus Bulba and how Darkwing had saved Gosalyn the day before. For all this police officer knew, Launchpad and Darkwing could have been friends for years instead of just meeting yesterday.

Launchpad looked at Gosalyn sadly. He hated the thought of her having to go back to an orphanage. He loved his parents, Ripcord and Birdie, and his sister, Loopy, and couldn't imagine growing up without a family.

"Gee, Gosalyn, I wish I could take you with me, but I don't even have a house in Saint Canard yet. I'm still wrapping things up in Duckburg."

He suddenly wondered what he was going to do now. He would have to try to find some other way to help with Darkwing gone, if he was gone, as he told the kids he would do if Darkwing didn't let him be his sidekick.

"I understand," Gosalyn said sadly. "It was nice meeting you."

Tears leaked from her green eyes and she hugged him. He stroked her pig tails as he hugged her back, realizing in the back of his mind that her hair was as red as his own. Then Gosalyn got into the back of the police car.

"Don't worry," the female cop said to Launchpad as he looked at Gosalyn's pale, shocked face. They'll help her deal with it back at the orphanage and I'll see that she gets there safely."

That wasn't what Launchpad was worried about. He knew the cop would get her there safely. Gosalyn wasn't in danger anymore with Bulba gone. He just hoped she'd be able to get past this horrible experience and let someone adopt her.

"You can leave too, Mr. McQuack," the cop said perfunctorily to Launchpad. He had already begun directing the other cops to search the rubble for the bodies the second after he had pointed to his partner.

"No," Launchpad said firmly. "I don't give up, Officer. I'm not leaving until I know one way or the other if DW's alive."

"He can't be alive, Sir. Nobody could have-"

"Darkwing could have! I've seen people beat bad odds a lot of times; I've done it more than once myself. He could be alive; he could need help. I'm not leaving until I know for sure. I'll help look for him."

"What about the other guy, the steer?"

"You can do whatever yah want with him, but if DW's alive, I'm not leaving him."

Launchpad had never wished death on anyone, but now he hoped Taurus Bulba was dead. He was too dangerous to live. Gosalyn would be safe if he was dead.

"All right," the cop said reluctantly. "You can help me look over here."

After a few minutes, Launchpad thought he heard a groan from underneath the rubble, a few feet to his left.

"Did you hear that?" he asked the cop, excited.

"Hear what?"

"Listen!"

They saw some of the rubble move a little.

"DW!" Launchpad cried happily. The groan had been too high to be Taurus Bulba; his voice was lower and gruffer, more gravelly.

He ran over to where he had heard the groan and started throwing some of the rubble aside. The cop helped him, looking surprised.

"I told yah he could be alive!" Launchpad said happily, as he pulled a beam off Darkwing. He was lying on top of what looked like the remains of the Federal Gold Depository. "So that's what happened to it," Launchpad thought in the back of his mind. "DW managed to land in the same place."

"Launchpad?" DW asked weakly. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me!" Launchpad said, relieved and a little breathless.

"Gosalyn-" DW began.

"She's OK," Launchpad said.

"My partner took the child back to the orphanage," the cop said in a business-like manner. "Can you get the rest of this off him, Mr. McQuack? I'm going to radio for an ambulance."

"Yeah! How bad are yah hurt, DW?"

"I think I've broken a few things, and I'm not sure if my ribs are broken or just cracked. What about Taurus Bulba? Have you seen him?"

"No, but we gotta get you to the hospital. The cops thought you were both dead. That one who just went to call the ambulance tried to get me to leave, but I wasn't gonna leave you in this mess!"

"Thanks, LP," Darkwing said gratefully.

Launchpad smiled. "DW and LP," he thought proudly. "We just brought down one of Saint Canard's most dangerous criminals and saved a little girl. We'll make a great team!"


	5. What's wrong with Drake Mallard?

Launchpad was given permission to ride in the ambulance with Darkwing. At the hospital, DW was x-rayed, taped and bandaged. His ribs were cracked and his left arm was put in a cast and sling. He had burns on his feet. They would heal, but for now they were both bandaged up to the knee. He had a gash on his head, so it was also lightly bandaged. He was going to need a lot of help for a while.

"Don't worry," Launchpad told the doctor. "I'll take care of him. By the way, DW, where do you live?"

"I live in Darkwing Tower."

"Darkwing Tower?"

"I'll show you where it is later. For now, can you please drive me to the orphanage? I want to let Gosalyn know I'm alive and see about-" he broke off.

"See about what?" Launchpad asked.

"See about adopting her," he said, as if he hadn't known he was going to say it until he'd opened his mouth.

"That's great! Let me help yah get up."

An orderly came with a wheelchair and Launchpad carefully lifted Darkwing into it, then wheeled him out to the Ratcatcher, where he just as carefully lifted him into the side car.

"So where's Darkwing Tower?" he asked as they drove off.

"Actually, that's just what I call it. I don't want other people knowing where my hideout is. Of course, you're my sidekick now, so you'll be there with me a lot. It's really the Audubon Bay Bridge tower."

"Boy, I'll bet you have a beautiful view of the city from up there."

"I do," Darkwing said, smiling, "But I'm going to have to find a house to live in if I'm going to have a daughter. Where do you live, LP?"

"Well, I don't have a house yet either in Saint Canard. I'm still in Duckburg."

"Well, why don't you move in with Gos and me? It makes sense; I mean, we'll be working together and we can share expenses."

"Good idea!"

Things were working out better than Launchpad could have ever hoped. He wasn't only going to have a job where he could do something truly meaningful again, but he was not going to have to live alone anymore. In a sense, he was going to have a family in Saint Canard.

"Wait a minute!" DW said, startled. "What am I thinking? Launchpad, we need to go to the tower before we go to the orphanage. I need to get out of costume."

At the tower, Darkwing took off his mask.

"My real name is Drake mallard. It's probably best if you call me Drake if I'm out of costume and we're out in public."

"You got it, Drake."

Drake's white feathers were his hair and he had blue eyes, a big beak and worry lines on his forehead. He was young and kind of short, even not counting the fact that Launchpad was taller than the average duck. As Darkwing, he wore a purple costume with a gray fedora. As Drake, he wore a sweater vest over a pink shirt.

"Are yah disappointed?" Drake asked quietly.

"Why would I be?" Launchpad asked, surprised. "I knew yah had to be someone else when you weren't being Darkwing Duck. What's wrong with Drake Mallard?"

"Well, I'm just an average person and you thought I was your hero."

"You are. Drake and Darkwing are the same person, remember? Just because you're Drake now doesn't mean you stop being a hero. I have friends in Duckburg who think of me as a hero, too, but they also know I'm just a regular guy. They're all about ten years old and we've been through a lot together. I'll tell you about that later. For now, let's get you into your civilian clothes and go tell Gos you're OK."

Later, Launchpad dropped Drake off in front of the orphanage and went to find a parking space. He found one, then tried to park, but accidentally hit the reverse control again. Before he knew it, he was in the orphanage in Drake's blue sedan with Drake, Gosalyn and the lady who ran the orphanage staring at him in surprise. He laughed sheepishly and said, "Still having a little trouble with reverse."

"Oh boy," Darkwing said in a "here we go again" tone. Gosalyn laughed. The woman just continued to stare. She had a small beak and she pressed her left hand to it in shock. Drake, Launchpad and Gosalyn smiled at the car. There were tire marks on the carpet.

"Sorry," Launchpad said to the woman. "Don't worry; I'll pay for it. I'm a pilot; I'm not used to driving cars, or motorcycles either. Hi, Gos."

"Hi, Launchpad," Gosalyn said happily. "Can we go now, Mrs. Cavanaugh?" she asked eagerly.

Mrs. Cavanaugh looked doubtful. It took a minute or two for Launchpad and Drake to convince her that Gosalyn would be safe, but she finally let them go.

"Please have Gosalyn back before nine, Mr. Mallard," Mrs. Cavanaugh said as Gosalyn carefully climbed onto Drake's lap, trying not to aggravate his injuries.

"I will," Drake promised, already picking up the newspaper off the dashboard to find the real estate section.

"I like that one," Gosalyn said, pointing to one of the houses in the newspaper.

"Me, too," Drake said, and showed it to Launchpad.

It was a cozy-looking two-story house in the suburban part of the city. The color was off white with tan trim and had three bedrooms and one bath.

The address was 537 Avian Way. It didn't take long to get there and the person who originally owned the house was in the front yard, talking to a chubby duck with white feathers. The owner, an older female duck, looked over when she saw the sedan park in her driveway.

"May I help you?" she asked.

Launchpad and Gosalyn got out of the car, then helped Drake out and the three of them walked over to her.

"I'm Drake Mallard. This is my daughter, Gosalyn and my friend, Launchpad McQuack. We're interested in buying your house."

"Oh, Good! This is my neighbor, Herb Muddlefoot."

"Hey there, Drakester!" Herb said cheerfully. "I got a son about your age," he said to Gosalyn. "Please to meet yah, Launchpad!" He shook Launchpad's hand.

Launchpad immediately liked this guy. Herb reminded him of one of those guys you see in movies or TV shows that everybody liked. He also reminded him of the hillbillies that had moved in next to Mr. McD a while back. Bubba had a huge crush on their daughter.

But Launchpad had a feeling Drake didn't like Herb. He knew instinctively that it was because Herb had called him Drakester. Launchpad hoped that if they picked that house, Herb and Drake wouldn't have the kind of relationship Mr. McD had had at first with Julie's father. If Gosalyn became friends with Herb's son, a feud between the parents could only hurt the kids. Julie and Bubba had run away, which finally convinced Scrooge and Mr. Blurf to act like adults and try to get along. Launchpad came out of his thoughts when the woman started speaking.

"I'm Mrs. Fern. I run the Saint Canard Flower Shop. I'm selling the house because I've decided to move in with my daughter, Heather, and her new baby. Her husband was just sent to jail for helping those awful Beagle Boys rob a rich duck named Glomgold. I told Heather that no-good Max Aubrey would cause her grief someday and now it's happened! My husband's been gone for years and this old house has gotten lonely, so this arrangement will be better for all of us. I'll get to see my daughter and grandson and someone else can have a chance to grow up in this beautiful neighborhood." She smiled at Gosalyn.

"Glomgold was robbed by the Beagle Boys?" Launchpad thought, picturing Scrooge laughing as he heard the news. He wondered if Scrooge had been able to see Glomgold's face when it happened. He also wondered how Aubrey and the Beagle Boys could have gotten past Glomgold's security system. It wasn't nearly as sophisticated as Gizmoduck, but it was still state of the art. Maybe Aubrey had been the brains behind this one; the Beagles definitely couldn't have done it themselves.

"Where does your daughter live?" Gosalyn asked.

"She lives on Redwing Road. That's perfect because it's closer to the flower shop. Heather works there with me, but she's currently on maternity leave. She had little Marvin just last week. Oh, he's so adorable! Well, come in and I'll show you the house. See you later, Herb."

"Bye, Elizabeth," Herb said, going in the direction of his own house.

Launchpad was amazed at how much Mrs. Fern talked. She had a story for almost every room in the house. Drake looked bored. Gosalyn listened with fascination to the stories of the trouble Mrs. Fern's son and daughter had gotten into. Launchpad listened quietly, also interested in the stories and wondered if Mrs. Fern talked this much all the time. He had a feeling she was the talker and her husband had been the quiet one.

The house was perfect for them. The three of them discussed it outside while Mrs. Fern went to answer a phone call and they decided to take it. Coincidentally, Mrs. Fern wanted to move out on the same day Launchpad was scheduled to move out of his house in Duckburg.

"Gladstone's luck again?" Launchpad wondered to himself. "Too much has happened to me in the last two days to be coincidental." He would have to ask Gladstone if he was able to pass his luck on to other people the next time he saw him. If this really was what had happened, Launchpad wondered how long it would last.


	6. Brightly Dawns the Duck

Drake, Launchpad and Gosalyn decided to go to Hamburger Hippo for dinner. They would buy the food to go, then go to the park and eat there. It was a nice day and it wasn't dark yet. Gosalyn didn't have to be back at the orphanage for a few hours.

They talked for hours. Launchpad told Drake and Gosalyn about Duckburg, all his friends and some of the adventures he'd had with Scrooge and the kids.

"But why are you leaving?" Drake asked. "I mean, it sounds like you were happy there. Those are the kids who see you as a hero, right? Why would you want to leave somewhere you love and people you love?"

"I do love them, but like Mr. McD said to the kids when I told them why I was leaving, Duckburg's given me all it has to offer."

He told them his reasons for leaving and showed Drake the scrapbook he'd mentioned and had shown to the kids. Drake's face lit up when he saw every newspaper article he, as Darkwing, had ever been in. There weren't many, but Launchpad was sure that now that DW had brought down a big time criminal there would be a lot more.

"Wow!" Gosalyn said to Launchpad. "You've really been in space and traveled back in time?"

"Yep, Mr. McD was always doing things like that. He gave me my first job. I flew for him for years at a penny a mile."

"A penny a mile!" Drake and Gosalyn said together. They sounded outraged. "How could you possibly live on that?" Drake asked. "This guy must have been a real cheapskate!"

"Well, yeah, he can be," Launchpad admitted, "But he does know there are more important things than money; the kids taught him that. As for how I managed to live, I took other jobs when I wasn't off on an adventure with him. Once I even worked for Flintheart Glomgold. I hated to do that because he's Mr. McD's biggest rival. He's even teamed up with the Beagle Boys a few times to cheat Mr. McD. But I needed the money."

"He teamed up with the Beagle Boys?" Gosalyn asked. "Then why did they rob him?"

"The Beagle Boys are crooks, Gos; they'll rob anyone they can. As for Glomgold, he'd cheat any way he can, so he'd never have second thoughts about cheating the Beagle Boys if it serves him. Mr. McD always earned his money honestly; Glomgold will do anything, honest or not, if it gives him a better chance to win. In fact, he'd rather fight dirty; he thinks it's more fun."

"But why would you even work for someone who doesn't pay you enough to live on?"

"Oh, I didn't work for Mr. McD for the money; I did it for the adventure."

They talked there on the park bench until the sun went down, then brought Gosalyn back to the orphanage. She kissed them both on the cheek before she got out of the Sedan. Launchpad and Drake smiled as they watched her go. Gosalyn was a great kid. They both knew she was going to make their lives very interesting.

Launchpad spent most of the next month going back and forth between Duckburg and Saint Canard. There were still some last minute details he had to take care of in Duckburg and Drake still needed him to drive. The doctor had said it would be at least six weeks from the day of the explosion.

He sold his planes, except the Joy Rider, to the Calisota Flight School. They were always looking for more planes. He wouldn't need them anymore now that he was working for DW; the Thunderquack was enough. He sent the Joy Rider to his family. They could use it in the air show. He just couldn't bring himself to sell it; he and that old plane had been through a lot together. He gave up his two hangers at the Saint Canard airport and moved the Thunderquack to Darkwing Tower. That would be one less expense. Also, having only one plane, he would need less fuel and less parts. He was going to need to save more money because crime fighting was going to take up a lot of his time. He wouldn't be able to take other jobs like he had when he worked for Mr. McD.

He and Drake had worked out a salary. It was a lot more than Mr. McD had paid him, but it still wouldn't be a fortune. That was all right. Again, he was working for DW mostly for the adventure. He needed the money, but he needed to be needed even more.

Darkwing had been given a job with a sister organization to the Duckburg Intelligence Agency called Shush. They wanted him to work for them, helping to catch big time criminals. The director, J Gander Hooter, had been impressed by Darkwing's defeat of Taurus Bulba. Hooter's chief agent, a grumpy bear named Grizzlikof, was not at all happy about Darkwing's position at Shush. Grizzlikof went by the book. Always, and Hooter wanted DW to be on the payroll, but work outside Shush's boundaries. Launchpad thought Grizzlikof was going to have a conniption when he heard Hooter tell Darkwing to use his own unique methods and hadn't even given him a Shush manual. DW would still freelance, as he always had, but he would be available to Shush whenever they needed him.

On the morning he left Duckburg, Launchpad was on an emotional roller coaster. He was sadder than he'd ever been about leaving all his friends, especially Mr. McD and the kids. He was excited about starting his new life in Saint Canard. He was living his dream of being sidekick to his hero, and today was also the day Drake was adopting Gosalyn, so he was happy for them. The Thunderquack was full of the last of the things Launchpad was bringing to the house on Avian Way. He would say his goodbyes in Duckburg, then go to pick up Drake from the tower. They had to be at the orphanage by one. Then they would go straight to their new house and start unpacking.

"Take good care of yourself, Launchpad," Scrooge said as they hugged. "You're a fine lad and a good friend, and I don't say that nearly enough. I want to give you something."

He let go of Launchpad and pulled out an envelope from his pocket. Launchpad opened it and saw that it was full of cash. He opened his mouth to protest, but Scrooge cut him off before he could speak.

"No, Laddy, we both know I never paid you nearly what you're worth. I always made nasty little comments to justify it, but we also both know the richest duck in the world would never keep someone on his payroll who was as brainless as I pretended you were. I hate to admit it because it says a lot of bad things about me, but I only said those things because I know you deserved more and I was too cheap to give it to you. I'm sorry."

"Mr. McD," Launchpad began uncomfortably.

"No, let me finish. You could have left me a long time ago based on my treatment of you alone, and maybe you should have, but you never did. The money in this envelope is the same amount any other pilot would have been paid if they'd been working for anyone else from the day we met up to now. It also includes hazard pay for all the times you risked your life to save me or the kids, or my money. I gave it to you in cash because I know you well enough to know you never would have cashed a check because you care more about people and their actions than you do about money. It should be a lot more, but no one can ever put a price on loyalty, friendship and bravery. I hope this Darkwing character appreciates you even half as much as I do, but shows it a lot more than I did."

Launchpad was crying now. He couldn't say anything. He'd always thought that on some level Mr. McD had meant all the mean things he said. His compliments were usually double edged, meaning they always had an insult thrown in with them. He'd always wanted Mr. McD's respect and appreciation, and now he realized he'd always had it. That meant more to him than any amount of money ever would. He knew the money was just Mr. McD's way of symbolizing it. He hugged Scrooge tightly before accepting the envelope.

Saying goodbye to the kids was even harder than he thought it would be. They all cried, Webby gave him a drawing she had made of him and the kids in their Junior Woodchuck uniforms. Doofus gave him a photo album of all his friends from Duckburg. There were also pictures that had been taken of some of their expeditions and adventures, including the wreck of the Lucky Duck and pictures Doofus had taken of the Little Wave, and Webby teaching Launchpad how to swim. The boys gave him a video of the last Little League game he'd coached for them. They had won, crushing the Beagle Brats seven to one. Bubba gave him a stone with his marker carved into it. The marker of a cave duck usually meant everything the cave duck owned belonged to the one given the marker, but Bubba had adapted it to suit the time he was living in. Now it was just his autograph. He had also change the symbol. It was now a small picture of him in one circle and a small picture of Tootsie in another. The two circles were joined by a dollar sign to symbolize Bubba's love for Scrooge. Launchpad smiled as he looked at it, suddenly remembering that he'd been the one to name Tootsie.

"Be good," Launchpad said to the kids, trying to smile as he got into the Thunderquack. Scrooge and the kids had seen the plane for the first time today and they had all been impressed.

"We will," they all said together.

Tootsie suddenly came up and gave Launchpad a long lick on the face. He laughed, patted the dinosaurs head, then waved goodbye to everyone and took off.

The judge who presided over the adoption had both Drake and Gosalyn sign the papers. He said it gave the child a sense of being part of the proceeding and not just a subject of it. Gosalyn had a lot of friends at the orphanage and of course she didn't want to leave any of them out when she said goodbye, so they didn't leave the orphanage until three. Drake tried not to show his impatience to get going, but Launchpad understood completely how Gosalyn felt. He wouldn't have wanted to leave anyone out in Duckburg this morning either.

Herb Muddlefoot was waiting for them when they got to the house.

"Thought yah could use some help moving in," he said, "So I brought my wife and sons over. This is Binky, Tank and Honker."

Honker was obviously the youngest, the one Herb had told Gosalyn about the day they came to see the house. Launchpad liked him immediately, as he had his father. Honker spoke nasally and with a slight stutter. He was polite and obviously intelligent. He carried a backpack full of books and calculators.

He helped Gosalyn move things into her room while Herb and Tank helped Drake and Launchpad with the heavy things and Binky organized the kitchen for them. Herb insisted Launchpad, Drake and Gosalyn have dinner with them that night. He barbecued and Binky baked a cake for desert.

The only Muddlefoot Drake seemed to like was Honker, which was good because Honker and Gosalyn had clicked instantly. Drake noticed this and pretended to like Herb, Tank and Binky, and only Launchpad seemed to realize how badly Drake wanted to be away from them.

The more time they spent with the Muddlefoots, the more they reminded Launchpad of Mr. McD's neighbors. Herb and Binky acted a lot like them, but the kids were completely different. Tank was obviously a bully. He had a mean, gruff voice and pushed Honker around every chance he got. Herb and Binky seemed to regard this as Tank's playful side. "If that's his playful side," Launchpad thought, "I'd hate to see his other side."

Honker was friendly to everyone and knew a little about a lot. He and Gosalyn seemed to compliment each other perfectly. Gosalyn was very interested in sports and Honker predicted statistics on all her favorite teams. She was disappointed, though, because Drake wouldn't allow her to place bets on any of the teams and wouldn't do it for her. He didn't approve of gambling.

There was still a lot for Drake and Launchpad to do with the house the next morning, but they could sleep there tonight. Their rooms had been set up and the kitchen was ready for breakfast the next morning. With seven of them working together, the three of them were practically moved in within a matter of hours.

They were all exhausted by eleven that night. Honker and Gosalyn fell asleep on a bench in the Muddlefoots' backyard. After thanking the Muddlefoots for all their help, Launchpad and Drake headed off to the house with Drake carrying Gosalyn. Herb waved at them, carrying Honker into their house with one arm. Drake seemed to dislike all of them, except Honker, on sight, but Launchpad was glad they'd happened to pick a house with such friendly neighbors.

Drake and Launchpad said goodnight at the door of Gosalyn's room, which was on the right at the top of the stairs. Drake went in to put Gosalyn to bed and Launchpad went to the door next to Drake's room into his room. Drake was in the master bedroom, which was directly in front at the top of the stairs.

As he slid under the covers, Launchpad went over the past month in his mind. His life had been happier and more active in the past five weeks than it had in the past year he'd been with Scrooge. Tomorrow would be his first night on patrol with Darkwing. He was looking forward to it. Everything was different now, and Launchpad had good feelings about the future. He knew he was going to have everything he used to have with Mr. McD and the kids and more. He would never trade the times he'd had in Duckburg, but this was going to be even better because of Drake and Gosalyn. Already he loved Drake like a brother and Gos like a niece. He couldn't wait to introduce them to his parents and sister, and to everyone in Duckburg. As he fell asleep, he remembered Mrs. Fern saying Gosalyn would have a chance to grow up in this beautiful neighborhood. He was glad he was going to be here to watch her grow up. He planned to be in Saint Canard with his new family for a very long time.


End file.
